FILE - In this photo taken Nov. 1, 2011, and released by Nazare Qualifica/Polvo Concept Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, Garrett McNamara, of Hawaii, surfs what is being called the tallest wave ever ridden at the Praia do Norte beach in Nazare, Portugal. McNamara took away honors at the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards Friday May 4, 2012 and also set a world surfing record for surfing a wave measured by experts as 78 feet. A panel of big wave surfing and photography experts, who analyzed and measured the photos and videos of Garrett's ride, determined the height of the wave. McNamara now has the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed after riding the 78-footer in November 2011 off the coast of Nazare, Portugal. (AP Photo/Nazare Qualifica/Polvo Concepts, Jorge Leal)

Photo: Jorge Leal, Associated Press

FILE - In this photo taken Nov. 1, 2011, and released by Nazare...

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Greg Long, who is expected to surf the Mavericks contest when the call comes this winter, says getting towed into monstrous surf can't compare with catching a curl by paddle power.

Photo: Frederic Larson, SFC

Greg Long, who is expected to surf the Mavericks contest when the...

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Noah Johnson rides a wave during the first round of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Competition big wave surfing contest at North Shore at Waimea Bay, Hawaii.

Photo: Kent Nishimura, Getty Images

Noah Johnson rides a wave during the first round of the Quiksilver...

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Noah Johnson rides a 30-footer in one of Oahu's big-wave hotbeds back in the day when getting towed into a giant by personal watercraft was more common.

Photo: Getty Images

Noah Johnson rides a 30-footer in one of Oahu's big-wave hotbeds...

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Surfer Kelly Slater pumps his fist after surviving the white water of this wave in the second heat at the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave surf contest on the North Shore at Waimea Bay, Hawaii Tuesday. He scored a 98 out of a possible 100 points on this wave.

The Northern California surf season is here, in all its glory. Crisp, clear days in between the rainstorms, with favorable offshore winds and sublime options from Humboldt County to Santa Cruz. Mavericks broke off the coast of Half Moon Bay last week, at a sort of medium-range size, with the biggest swells yet to come.

When that happens, it will mark the latest phase of a revolution. Big-wave surfing has undergone a major shift in philosophy, and there are no more serious practitioners than those preparing for the Mavericks contest, slated to take place during the most optimum conditions between now and March 31.

This contest has become something of a myth, gone missing for two years. "Lack of surf" was the official reason, but there were other roadblocks, notably the film crews shooting "Chasing Mavericks" - a surprisingly tolerable Hollywood treatment of the late Jay Moriarity and the Santa Cruz surfing community - and issues within the event's organizational structure, from internal squabbling to the struggles to obtain sponsorship.

Everything seems to be in place this time, but whether the contest goes off or not, rest assured that there will be giant waves at Mavericks, challenged by competitors intent on restoring the essence and purity of big-wave riding.

That is to say, no more cheap thrills.

Gaining access

The advent of tow-in surfing changed the sport in the early '90s. Thanks to Jet Skis, tow-ropes, smaller boards and foot straps, surfers were whipped into waves previously deemed too big - or at the very least, too dangerous - for anyone who dared to paddle his or her way in.

This was a wondrous development for several years, left in the capable hands of such teams as Laird Hamilton-Darrick Doerner, Ken Bradshaw-Dan Moore, Peter Mel-Kenny Collins and Moriarity-Jeff Clark. It was wild, adventurous and new, and it was plainly shocking to watch surfers carving huge turns and setting up for tube rides on wave faces up to 70 feet. The ultimate testing ground was Peahi (or "Jaws") on Maui, but the trend spread worldwide, especially noteworthy on the biggest days at Mavericks.

There were fundamental issues, however, that could not be ignored. It was bad enough to see previously empty lineups filled with noisy, gas-guzzling machines, all revved-up and jostling for position. The process became unsatisfying, as well. Getting towed into these waves, like a carefree water skier, was just too easy.

"I vividly remember walking away from some tow sessions feeling so unfulfilled," said Greg Long, who got in some warm-up sessions at Mavericks last week and will be among the favorites to win the contest. "Like I didn't really push or challenge myself. You might go faster, get deeper, catch a thousand more, but it's not about the quantity. Maybe you'll wait hours for just one wave, but when it comes, and you turn and go, and it's the most hair-raising drop and a race to the channel, and when you kick out, you'll remember that wave for the rest of your life."

To paddle or to tow

There's a long-standing rule in surfing: If surfers are paddling in, the tow crews aren't welcome.

The game changer for riding big waves, some say, came on a foggy day in December 2008. Several tow-in crews were on hand at Mavericks, for it was a nasty, frightening day deemed too big to paddle. But a handful of surfers, including Nathan Fletcher and Kohl Christensen, gave it a shot - and pulled it off. "Definitely one of the pivotal moments in the paddle-in movement," Long said. "We were all thinking, what else is possible?"

Later that winter, a handful of Brazilian surfers, including the esteemed Danilo Couto, began paddling into waves at Jaws - initially on smaller days, but breaking new ground with each ensuing session. Shane Dorian, widely considered the most talented big-wave rider in the world, has led the way since then. Much of their success is due to refinement of their big-wave "gun" boards, now sleeker and shorter (in the range of 10 feet, 4 inches to 10-6) and with a four-fin alignment.

Getting their nerve

But an essential element was simple bravado: a sense that old-school thinking was passe, and that a barrier was there to be broken. Jaws became the epicenter of the revolution, the Jet Skis largely vanished, and under the right conditions - relatively smooth seas on that notoriously windy part of Maui - historically successful rides are going down with the arrival of each big swell, most recently in the second week of October.

"You're talking about guys who have always been enthusiastic about paddling, guys who spent years heading to the outer reefs (of Oahu's North Shore) to do it all by themselves," said Dave Wassel, a North Shore lifeguard who finished fourth in the 2010 Mavericks contest. "I don't think you should ever put your life on the line with a machine, anyhow. It's electric, and that doesn't mix with saltwater. You should learn to depend on yourself and nothing else."

Wave of brilliance

To get a true grasp of the brand of surfer in question, consider what occurred five months ago when the pro surfing tour arrived in Fiji. The legendary Cloudbreak was going off with faces up to 40 feet and beyond, and yet with surrealistic perfection over a shallow reef. It looked like a video game, or some kind of cartoon. The pro contest was launched, but only for an hour or so. Thanks to a bit of wind-chop, it looked entirely too crazy. "Everyone would have gone out there and done their best," said 10-time tour champion Kelly Slater. "Someone would have drowned, that's all."

As it happened, some two dozen of the world's best big-wave riders were on the scene, hoping to catch that swell in some form. They wound up taking over, grateful for the opportunity, and as the evil wind subsided, they spent a full day enjoying what the well-traveled Hawaiian, Ian Walsh, called "the best waves I've ever seen anywhere in the world." Without a Jet Ski or a tow-rope in sight.

Weighing the elements of size, consequence, length of ride and performance level, this was unquestionably the greatest day in the history of big-wave surfing.

No tow at Mavericks

Mavericks is a paddle-in contest - always was, always will be - and if you check the list of invitees and alternates, you'll find Fletcher, Christensen, Wassel, Couto, Dorian, Grant (Twiggy) Baker, Mark Healey, the Long brothers (Greg and Rusty), Garrett McNamara, Jamie Mitchell and Carlos Burle, all of whom recently made their paddle-in mark at Jaws or on that insane day at Cloudbreak - or both - not to mention the hardy mainstays of the Northern California crew.